Wicked Photo Diary: March 2016

Wicked Photo Diary is a feature on the blog where I recap what happened in my life, bookish and non-bookish, in the form of my Instagram photos. Do follow me on Instagram here.

This is like two months ago, I know. But I hit a major blogging slump of some sort.

March 2, 2016

I heard so much about this book. This definitely took my breath away. Good pacing and good character development. I haven't started on the second book yet and yes, I know I should.

March 3, 2016

I rarely buy hardcovers. I know they make good bookstagram image. But they are just so expensive. *insert tears* which is why I'm thankful for thrift stores like Booksale.

March 4, 2016

It was World Book Day. I didn't get to bring all of my books to Cebu but I have a few of my favorites with me. I had a hard time choosing which one to include in my photo *hihihihi*

March 5, 2016

It was a pretty good book. The three characters and their lives were perfectly sown together to make one good story.

March 7, 2016

OH MY GOD. One word: MATT FINCH. I swear this book is just AMAZING. A mix of drama and romance and everything under the sun. Highly recommended.

March 8, 2016

March officially marked the start of summer. I was in for a treat when I woke up that day and I didn't see the sun and for a moment, the air was pretty cool.

March 9, 2016

Now, this one is bloody amazing. One of the best summer reads out there. Add this to your reading piles, everyone!

March 10, 2016

A good friend of mine, by name of @thekookiejar on Instagram, gave me these awesome calligraphy bookmarks. They make good bookstagram additions!

March 11, 2016

I have a Snapchat account. Do follow if you want to.

March 12, 2016

This book is perfect for Supernatural fans and for people trying to take a break from reading contemporaries.

March 16, 2016

I kind of wish I never opened this book because this one is painful. But also a beautifully written book. One must proceed with caution when reading this book.

March 25, 2016

It was my first time travelling alone by plane. There's a first for everything.

March 27, 2016

Borrowed from my brother. And he's right, smack right into the feels, this one.

Wicked Photo Diary: February 2016

Wicked Photo Diary is a feature on the blog where I recap what happened in my life, bookish and non-bookish, in the form of my Instagram photos. Do follow me on Instagram here.

Okay, this is like a month late. Sorry for that.


February 2, 2016

All's Fair In Blog And War - Chrissie Peria

This is 1 of the 4 romance novels I acquired from Uniqube, a place where they sell all my favorite Filipino authors! This is Chrissie's first novel and I see why it was such a success. The whole story is just so adorable.

February 3, 2016

I went to the Ayala Musuem with my brother and my cousin. It was an awesome day because for one, the Ayala Museum was filled with amazing works from Filipino artists like Fernando Zobel and Juan Luna. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take a photo in the Contemporary Art floor. The Philippine Diorama however, was the coolest thing I have ever seen. A whole floor filled with Philippine history, some parts that aren't even in history textbooks. Here's my photo with the National Hero Jose Rizal who stands just a mere two inches above me.

February 4, 2016

Blasts From Two Pasts - Kristel S. Villar

Blasts From Two Pasts was a pleasure to read. I'm a sucker for anything involving exes and how to deal with them. I think I've become an expert.

February 5, 2016

Fall Like Rain - Ana Tejano

How does one leave the friendzone? That's like the ultimate question that requires the one ultimate answer.

February 6, 2016

Blossom Among Flowers - Jay E. Tria

Now, this one I like a lot. It was adorable, funny, and cheesy at best. Just like those Japanese romance dramas and Korean romance dramas that I am currently obsessed with.

February 7, 2016

Before I moved to Cebu, I stayed in Montalban, Rizal, the province where most of my mother's side of the family stay and grew up in. During Sundays, we gather around and play BINGO and eat food from our own backyard because that's how countryside people live.

February 13, 2016

A gift from my good friend Neil before I moved to Cebu. Forever grateful to the person who introduced me to A.S King, who wrote about the realest characters I will ever know.

February 17, 2016

Our flight in Cebu got delayed by two hours...as expected even if it wasn't peak season like summer or Christmas. Nonetheless, the one hour and forty minutes journey to Cebu made me cry, because parting with Manila was like parting with a loved one.

I'm Back!

Okay, like, this is for freaking real! I'M BACK, BLOGGING WORLD~!

My last update was a month ago. Whew~ I have so many things to say but I don't know what to say. Does that even make sense?

Nonetheless, I've spent a lot of time trying to clear out my TBR pile so yaay for me. Wait for reviews because they are coming your way.

You guys don't know how much I miss you guys and how much I miss writing review for you guys. But don't worry. I have awesome stuff in store for you guys so just wait, okay?

LIFE UPDATE: Where Am I?

Oh hey~ I'm not dead. It's just that I am currently somewhere new. I don't remember if I talked about it already but I moved to Cebu this month and I'll be living in Cebu for...I don't know how long.

Okay so for non-Filipinos reading this, Cebu is a province located way down south of Manila. It can take an hour and forty five minutes tops by plane and probably two days by sea. It's famouse for being the seat of Catholicism when Spaniards conquered the Philippines. Cebu has nice beaches, even nicer than the famed Boracay Island. The people here speak a different dialect and so for someone who grew up in Manila and spoke Tagalog all her life, it feels like I'm in a different country all together.

I've been vacationing here when I was a kid but I never picked up the language. I'll learn along the way...someday.

So, new home, new place, new neighbors, no friends. Well, what a challenge. Also more challenging, not having internet connection at home.

We'll get it installed one day...don't worry. So far, I don't have my library with me. Seventy percent of it is in Manila and I miss them very much. For now, I'll probably go on and finish my TBR pile and regular programming aka my blog posts will come up afterwards. Don't know when. But it will happen. Trust. Me.

That's it for now. See you guys next time~!

Wicked Review: The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Published: March 22, 2011

Publisher: Speak

Acquired: Paperback

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Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

To say that I fell in love with the book is a massive understatement. This book is amazing. Sure, I've read a lot about loss and how the characters have dealt with it. But The Sky Is Everywhere is more than that.

We have Lennie Walker, a clarinetist who lost his older sister, Bailey. She walks in the shadow of her older sister who's a bona fide star in their small town. Bailey dreams of becoming a theater actress one day. They were almost inseparable until Bailey's own heart took her life away.

My sister will die over and over again for the rest of my life. Grief is forever. It doesn't go away; it becomes a part of you, step for step, breath for breath. I will never stop grieving Bailey because I will never stop loving her. That's just how it is. Grief and love are conjoined, you don't get one without the other. All I can do is love her, and love the world, emulate her by living with daring and spirit and joy. 

I felt Lennie's grief, so much so that her actions through the course of this book is almost selfish. I have never lost anyone dear to me so I wouldn't really put myself in Lennie's shoes. But everyone around Lennie-Toby, Bailey's boyfriend, their Grandmother, their Uncle Big-has also lost Bailey. They were also grieving. They lost a piece of themselves when Bailey passed away.

The sky is everywhere, it begins at your feet. 

Lennie met Joe Fontaine, new guy who plays so many instruments. He's such a sweetheart. *insert heart eyes emoji* Where Lennie was overcome with grief over the loss of her sister, Joe comes to save the day. He's the epitome of a good life in my book. I just love him.

Each start of the chapter, there's a poem at the side. All those poems are written by Lennie and I think, those poems help understand Lennie's feelings and her relationship with her sister. She leaves those poems everywhere and writes on all sorts of known surfaces. I think I'll try that some time.

The.World.Is.Not.A.Safe.Place.

Messentialism. It's the word the often came up in this book. We live in a big mess. Each situation we're in, it's a mess. I believe that one hundred percent. Jandy Nelson provided me with a book that is greater than life. It was everything I expected from Jandy Nelson and then more.

Jandy Nelson, like her characters in I’ll Give You the Sun and The Sky is Everywhere, comes from a superstitious lot. She was tutored from a young age in the art of the four-leaf clover hunt; she knocks wood, throws salt, and carries charms in her pockets. Her critically-acclaimed, New York Times bestselling second novel, I’ll Give You the Sun, received the prestigious Printz Award, Bank Street's Josette Frank Award, and is a Stonewall Book Award honor. Both Sun and her debut, The Sky Is Everywhere, have been YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults picks (Sun, a Top Ten on Both YALSA and Rainbow Lists) and on multiple best of the year lists including the New York Times, Time Magazine, NPR, have earned many starred reviews, and continue to enjoy great international success, collectively published in over 47 countries. I'll Give You the Sun has been sold to Warner Brothers and screenwriter Natalie Krinsky is currently writing the adaptation. Jandy, a literary agent for many years, received a BA from Cornell University and MFAs in Poetry and Children's Writing from Brown University and Vermont College of Fine Arts. Currently a full-time writer, she lives and writes in San Francisco, California—not far from the settings of her novels.

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Wicked Photo Diary: January 2016

Wicked Photo Diary is a feature on the blog where I recap what happened in my life, bookish and non-bookish, in the form of my Instagram photos. Do follow me on Instagram here.

Well, unbelievable. I mean, whaaaaat? That's it. First 31 days of the month is already over! Goodness gracious! That was fast. January started off good for me. I found time to read the books that I bought from last year and my TBR pile is thanking me for my self-control and my perseverance in reading books off of the pile.

I also have a special announcement to make. I'll be moving to the province starting this February. For those unfamiliar with Philippine geography, I'll be moving to Cebu, a province in the South that can only be accessed from the Philippine capital, Manila, either by sea or air. It's far away from Manila, far away from my friends and the life I've lived for twenty one years in the city. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. So I'm enjoying the last few weeks I'll be spending in the city before I move. All part of life.

Here's how the first month of 2016 has treated me.

January 1, 2016

Pretty foggy due to the fireworks from New Year's Eve and the fact that it;s always foggy in the mornings.


January 2, 2016

First read of 2016. Absolutely loved this book. Things just got really interesting for all the characters and damn, I can't wait for Frost Like Night!


January 8, 2016

I just re-downloaded Spotify on my iPad that day and somehow, this song has been stuck in my head.


January 9, 2016

Got to watch Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens with Anna, another Star Wars fan. And wow, the movie was amazing. So many theories in my head that'll last me until Episode VIII comes out. PS: I'm obsessed with Kylo Ren. Dark Side all the way~


January 12, 2016

I've heard so much about I'll Give You The Sun than The Sky Is Everywhere. But this is the first Jandy Nelson book I picked up. It was amazing.


January 14, 2016

I had to reread this again because I forgot how things went down with Lara Jean and Peter K. It was a nice trip down memory lane afterwards.


January 15, 2016

It was such a sad day. I was wasting my time on Youtube, watching cooking videos to past time and make myself sleepy. I found myself on Facebook and the first thing that came on my news feed was a Page To Premiere article about the passing of Alan Rickman. At first, I didn't want to believe it. I waited for the major new organizations to confirm it. And they did. It was like my world fell apart. The world lost a great human being. A few days ago, singer David Bowie passed away and then it was Alan Rickman's turn. I will always remember him. Always.


January 16, 2016

I was reeling after reading this. I mean, ugh, I love you, Peter K. I wish you were real.


January 18, 2016

The angel lore in Angelfall is superb. I knew I made a good decision buying the trilogy in one go, something I don't do, at last year's Manila International Book Fair. This isn't your typical angel fantasy story.


January 19, 2016

I didn't even read any contemporary in between because I was desperate to know what happened next!!!


January 22, 2016

End of Days was explosive! Explosive ending for this phenomenal trilogy! A must read!


January 23, 2016

Stocked up on my romance reads written by Filipino authors! So excited to read them all!


January 24, 2016

It took a long time for me to finish this because I was busy reading contemporaries on my iPad. But, oh, this book reminded me of the ship scene in the movie Stardust. And to think, Magonia is real! *stares up the sky*


January 29, 2016

Got this baby at 20% off! Sweet deal, I know. I'm a little bit confused with this book but it means I just need to be focused with this book!


January 30, 2016

Took a photo of the sunshine before it went behind the clouds.

Send off party number one with Neil and Coleen! Had a blast book shopping with the two. I will definitely miss the two of them!


January 31, 2016

Books, books and more books. Would you believe that most of these titles don't even cost more than $5?!



What Else Happened One The Blog?

Backlist Revival Tour: One Night At The Palace Hotel by Bianca Mori

Hello 2016! Better Late Than Never!